Congreso 2022

History Colorado Center:
1200 N Broadway,
Denver, Colorado 80203

Latinos in Heritage Conservation welcome

Colorado State Historian Nicki Gonzales, Ph.D. will share an overview of the history of Latinx communities in Denver. Her talk will encompass a variety of topics and themes, including local contributions to the Chicano Civil Rights Movement and how Latinxs have responded to displacements over time.

LHC Board Co-Chairs will reflect on the organization’s origins and major achievements. They will introduce LHC’s first Executive Director who will share exciting things to come.

This session will discuss regional work and perspectives on traditional and cultural building methodologies, environmental education, cultural heritage, and celebrating culinary and food traditions. In addition, participants will share how they approach the field and provide insight into new strategies, successes, and challenges in working with Latinx cultural landscapes and living heritage.

A “Scholars Expert Panel” advised the National Park Service’s American Latino Heritage Initiative (2011-16) and produced American Latinos and the Making of the United States: A Theme Study (2013). Members of this panel will reflect upon and discuss their work with the NPS, its significance, its legacies, and the work that remains unfinished.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Department of the Interior’s and National Park Service’s American Latino Heritage Initiative, we’ll kick-off Congreso with a special reflection and remarks by former Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar who will join us remotely, live from Mexico City and end with Q&A. This lively gathering will include music by Eddie Torrez. Your ticket gets you two drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a fabulous evening of mingling with colleagues.

History Colorado Center:
1200 N Broadway,
Denver, Colorado 80203

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This facilitated panel discussion will focus on innovative strategies and tools used to preserve Denver’s Latino/a and Chicano/a sites and heritage, including the La Alma Lincoln Park Historic Cultural District, the Chicano/a Murals of Colorado Project, and Denver’s Latino/Chicano Historic Context Study, released in February 2022. The panelists will provide case studies highlighting how these efforts pushed preservation boundaries, how they’ve catalyzed further preservation action, as well as how similar efforts can be applied in other cities. Discussion will also explore why it’s important to promote both tangible and intangible heritage.

This session will explore the connections between the natural environment and Latinx history and culture. Where does our work as Latinx environmental and heritage conservationists overlap? How are our goals and visions for the future intertwined? Hear the perspectives of three Latinx environmental conservation leaders.

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This roundtable discussion explores the intersections of preservation and public history working to democratize and re-envision Latinx narratives through various types of documentation work and approaches.

Unlike the physical places and objects of tangible heritage, intangible heritage is composed of the arts, music, foodways, stories, spiritual or religious practices, among many other expressions of traditions, that are passed on from generation to generation. This panel presents three pivotal traditions that sustain individuals and communities: music, foodways, and the religious traditions of the San Francisco Morada.

Join us for great conversaciones y cervezas at Raíces Brewery. Raíces is a Latino owned and operated brewpub in CO. It features award winning craft beers, non-alcoholic beverages, and a rotating Latin American food selection and on-going cultural events Raíces aims to become a reference center for those interested in learning about Latin culture. Raíces, meaning “roots”, is the community taproom delivering high quality craft beer and entertainment to connect its guests through Latino culture.

LOCATION:
MDC/Richmond
Terrace Room, 4th Floor

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Nearly fifty years ago hundreds of residents were displaced from Denver’s close-knit and heavily Latino/a Chicano/a Auraria Neighborhood to make way for a center for higher education. In the wake of this decision a young non-profit, Historic Denver, worked to save one block of the 19th century homes, now the 9th Street Historic Park. This panel discussion will revisit that preservation win, raising questions about what stories have been told over time, and what could have been done differently to reflect the diverse layers of history, preserve intangible heritage, and foster community. Discussions will also include ways in which partners are re-engaging with the historic structures and the displaced community today.

This session will highlight formal and informal efforts to document and memorialize the Latinx presence in rural communities of the region. We will learn how Latinx heritage advocates are utilizing the National Heritage Area program of the National Park Service (NPS) to preserve Latinx history and culture. Unique challenges and opportunities faced by rural heritage sites will be examined in the case of the Boggsville Historic Site (CO). The third case study is the Migrant Trail Walk, a 75-mile and 7-day pilgrimage and protest march that commemorates the migrants who have died in the Sonoran Desert.

The closing luncheon will mark the last key event for Congreso at History Colorado. This year our host site is History Colorado, our statewide preservation partner. State Historic Preservation Officer, Dawn DiPrince, will share the organization’s Museum of Memory Initiative, a public history project that works together with Colorado residents to co-author a shared history.

Both Field Sessions will depart the History Colorado Center at 2:30 and return attendees to the same location. Pick-up and arrival location is located between N. Broadway and Lincoln Street. Please see the registration desk if you would like to change or register for one of the tours.

Join us for our last evening in Denver. Our final keynote will be David Vela, the former acting director of the United States National Park Service and author of Hola Ranger, My Journey Through the National Parks. We will be closing out Congreso 2022 at Museo de las Americas, a museum that is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the diverse arts and cultures of the Americas from ancient to contemporary, through innovative exhibitions and programs. Featuring small bites from Chef Edwin Sandoval of Xatrucho Concepts. Books will be available for purchase following the discussion. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.